1. Technical Field
The invention relates to the interactive display of viewer information in a computer environment. More particularly the invention relates to interactive user interfaces concerning multimedia program schedule presentations in a computer environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Multimedia program schedule information has been physically tied to an archaic display method. Service providers are under the false belief that viewers are conditioned to interpret and understand the television schedule presentation methods that originated from print media such as newspapers.
Television program schedule information has traditionally been displayed either in a columnar or tabular form. The tabular method displays program schedule information as a two dimensional table. The vertical axis displays the television channel numbers and the horizontal axis displays the time periods. The names of the television programs for each channel are listed horizontally across the table. Each show is listed under the time period during which it is shown.
The columnar method displays the channels and program names under a time heading. TV Guide is an example of the columnar method. This works well for printed matter because the reader looks through the columns for the desired time period and finds all of the channels and program names starting at that time.
A dominant television schedule format is the grid format. This format is popular for displaying television schedule information on the TV screen. The television schedule information is displayed in much the same form as the tabular approach. A two dimensional table format is laid out. The vertical axis displays the channel numbers or IDs with the horizontal axis displaying half hour time increments. Programs are blocked out within the table. A show is represented by a rectangular colored block. This block extends horizontally from the program start time to the program end time.
The viewer either scrolls through the channel list or it is rotated automatically. Information beyond the time period is not displayed and only shifts to the right as time advances.
The problem with the grid format is that it is limited by the television resolution, screen size, and viewing distance. This limits the information displayed to approximately one and a half hours and the channel list to around seven channels. Additionally, some applications attempt to place advertising information within the grid format. This leads to a visual overload of information to the viewer and a cluttered appearance.
It would be advantageous to provide a multimedia schedule presentation system that communicates program schedule information to the user in a visually and intellectually intuitive manner. It would further be advantageous to provide a system that interacts with the user using a consistent, intuitive interface.
The invention provides a multimedia schedule presentation system. The system presents program schedule information to the user in a visually and intellectually intuitive manner. In addition, the invention provides a system that utilizes a consistent, intuitive user interface.
The invention provides a program guide area which is a list of the programs that are currently airing, was aired, or is scheduled. The program guide area is semi-transparent and overlays on the broadcast program material that the user is currently watching. The user can see how the program is progressing while he is browsing the program guide schedules.
The invention displays the program guide information in two different modes: two column or three column. The two column mode displays the available channels in a rotating endless list fashion in the left hand column and the programs for the highlighted channel in the right hand column. The user scrolls or pages up or down through the channel list. The interface is consistent throughout all columns with respect to scrolling and paging. Whispering arrows are also consistent in this interface, showing that more information exists in the indicated direction. Information is also more detailed as the highlight bar is moved to the right (successive disclosure) as described above.
The current time period is shown above the left column on the screen. The time period is easily changed by the user. Below the time display is the listing of the channels available to the user. Next to each channel number is the station ID and the title of the current program that is being aired. The user moves the highlight bar over the channel that he is interested in and a description of the current program that is showing on the channel is displayed above the two columns.
As the user changes the time period, the program titles change to the names of the program that were, are, or will be shown at that time period. The programs in the right hand column will also change to correspond to the time period.
The user moves the highlight bar to the right hand column allowing him to scroll through the programs for that particular channel. As each program is highlighted, the program""s information is displayed in the upper area of the program guide area.
The right hand column displays a schedule of the programs for the particular channel. The schedule begins at the time indicated above the left column. The program name and start time are displayed. The user moves the highlight bar up and down the list of programs, scrolling through the time slots for each day in the program guide information.
The channel number and ID are displayed above the right hand column. The user changes the channel number moving the channel number backward or forward through the channel list. The channel list in the left hand column follows the user""s channel selections, scrolling backward or forward in the channel list. The program list in the right hand column changes to the programs associated with the channel number selected by the user, starting at the time indicated above the left hand column.
The program list in the right hand column can be shown in two intuitive forms. The first form lists the start time of each program next to the program name. The list is in descending order from the most recent time to the latest time.
The second form also lists the start time next to each of the program names. The list continues the time intervals by listing each half, quarter hour, or selectable intervals. The duration of the program is indicated by an indicator extending from the program start time down to the program end time.
The user can highlight a program and again move the highlight bar to the right to obtain a detailed program information screen.
The three column mode adds a higher level column to the two-column mode adding another column to the left of the channel column. Two columns are normally displayed at a time. The program guide information is sorted in different ways, e.g., all movies, favorite channels, all channels, all sports, etc. The first column contains the sorting methods available to the user. The second column presents the available channels that correspond to the sorting method with the description of the channel column consistent with that of the two-column method. The user simply highlights the preferred sorting method with the highlight bar. The sorted channels then appear in the right hand column.
The user can move the highlight bar to the right hand column allowing him to scroll through the channels. The program information for the highlighted channel is displayed in the upper screen area of the program guide area. The user once again moves the highlight bar to the right to obtain the two column channel/program format described above. This two column format may differ (when a sort method other than all channels is selected) in that the channels displayed in the left hand column are those that correspond to the sorting method.